I really wanted to like this one. I'm a megafan of Shredder's Revenge and I have multiple top times speedrunning it. It's probably the best beat em up ever made. That being said this game has some major flaws compared to it's predecessor. - Like SOR 4 wayyyyy too many enemies have super/hyper armor and are just to active. They even break our of hit stun and hit you in the middle of a combo or are just outright unstaggerable completely. - Enemy variety is very low, dare I say even more than shredder's revenge. On top of that tons of annoying monsters that just burrow or become unhittable constantly forcing you to stand and wait (the last thing you want to do in a beat em up) - All bosses have a built in armor mechanic that just wastes your time. They also have TONS of super armor. On top of that almost every boss has a near instant jump reposition ability that just completely ruins the action economy and is imbalanced for over half the cast. - Too many mechanics are hinged off of the tag system, while cool it's a tad too forced imo. - Tons of gamebreaking bugs that softlock certain levels. - Knockdowns from enemies (even very light attacks) on average are about 90 frames (1.5 seconds) which is an eternity in a beat-em-up. And no quickrise or rollout like SR, which just feels like a slog. - Wayyyy too many "bugs fly across the screen" stage hazard time waster on most of the stages. - Some characters have a parry instead of a dodge which is just outright worse for 95% of the game because the action economy is stacked so heavily against the player. - Final boss and a lot of the bosses are recycled/uninspired and just are a serious letdown. Even annihilus is a straight shredder clone (on top of the shield that every other boss gets just turning it into a slog) All in all I was super hyped for this game since it's announcement. However I cannot recommend it at this moment and these issues need to be seriously ironed out. Until then this game is more of a chore to play unlike SR.

I was greatly looking forward to this game, being a massive marvel fan and putting a lot of hours into shredders revenge, which was a much much better game sadly. Will try to keep this short. Pros: -Production value - Graphics, music, voices etc. all top notch, S tier I would say on the graphics, voice and sound effects, music is only okay. -Roster - Some people hate the choices, overall I do like playing the roster even on the characters that I hate. Thor is my man and getting budget thor was very sad for me but beta ray is at least fun to play as is the captain marvel stand in phya-vell. - Tone of marvel - they definitely captured the tone very well, all the call backs, cameos and background characters are all fun and great. Cons: Combat - This is a massive step down to shredders revenge and even though there seems to be some depth here, there is not. When I first started was feeling things out, mashing buttons, trying to do launcher combos etc but most of the time doing a tag launcher or tagging into teammates after a sequence is just unnecessary and while fun, I find little reason to do it. After unlocking everything and leveling everyone to max level I decided to pump up the difficulty to hard and my god. In shredders revenge I always found a good challenge throwing that on max difficulty and going through without dying, the games combos, bosses and enemies always seemed to me to be set up to do this. Cosmic invasion however is not. The enemy AI is not predictable in anyway. What I mean is, for a game that has parries for the block characters you would think there would be some consistent call outs or wind up animations so you can expertly parry them and be rewarded with a punish, some enemies have this but most do not, and if they do the wind up is ~.5 seconds maybe faster, there is no flash, color or anything to indicate and attacks coming and the parry itself has some lag on the input where you seem to have to block 1 second before the attack lands to parry, which seems inconsistent at best. This results in dodge characters being vastly superior to block characters when attempting to actually play the game with some finesse and skill. Also the enemy buffs and combat skills are not conveyed well either. I will be pummeling a monster that is in hit stun all of a sudden to have it just get super armor our of nowhere and start a dash animation or attack animation mid swing and I cannot react by the time I know this "super armor" has engaged, the enemy doesn't change color, flash or have any other indicator it has armor besides it not being able to be in hit stun anymore. The game wants you to use tag assist to help deal extra damage, and I agree they are powerful and great but your tag partner is not invincible and the windows on bosses where they can be hit stunned or knocked back are very fleeting, you get maybe a 2 second window whenever they have no armor but if you call the assist while you start swinging and they boss gets armored again and does a nasty attack, both you and your partner take massive damage. I have found not even using those assists is best because they can also run into falling debris on a level or run into an enemy a little further ahead that was doing a short range attack and now hits your partner before they disappear and now need to be healed up. If red health recovered for a tagged out partner like MvC series it would help but this system punishes you for using the tag assist system. Also the danger icons on stages are not accurate to their danger zones. There are multiple times where I am not standing in the warning area, am very much out of the way below or above and yet when that sentinel lands, the aoe explosion area is larger than the warning area. Also Focus (super moves) moves are not 100% invincible on startup, there are many times I hit the super button and see myself take damage as I wind up into the animation. There's more I could complain about but I can't recall at this point, but shredders revenge had much better combat and coming off of playing Absolum, which has some of THE best parry/clash/dodge/deflect system i have every experienced, this is awful in comparison. Hero Passives: When you level your character to 5 I think, you get a passive. Some of these range from ridiculously amazing like iron mans parrying a projectile gives you infinite repulsor blasts for ~3 seconds to cosmic ghost riders who when you kill someone with pennance stare (very low damage move, hard to setup and is basically a last tap of an enemy to finish them) you get 4 more bullets...........yay? Wolverines is actually probably one of the best, just passively regen your red health is quite good. Or say beta ray bills and storms passives, under certain conditions they can deal shock damage with their next attack which.........does more damage to machines, which can be good but outside of that I have not seen a use for it. Same with Nova, after you do a super, his next nova beam shots go from 10 to 15 damage, you can shoot 3 of them, I have never noticed the damage difference matter. Group Play: I hopped into a group game full of 4 players, the cluster F**k was fun to watch for a level, but I was immediately bored after that. There so much flying around enemies just melt and do not do anything and it really is just everyone mashing away which is fine, I get that's what it can devolve into but man the entertainment, at least for me, is not there for a full run of arcade with 3 other players, there's just not enough meat on the combat to keep me interested. Bugs: Even after the patch I have still run into areas that don't transition, had one happen last night in the hive level towards the end, just sat there for a minute, went to edges of the screen wouldn't progress and that little larva in the background just shooting at me and nothing else on screen to collect or do. Also as nova had hela somehow shoot me into the air off screen and I never came back down, couldn't tag or do anything. Overall a massively anticipated game for me utterly falling short on what makes me love these games and makes me play them for hours and hours, the combat which is a shame because the voices and production value are top notch. Maybe the game can be fixed if/when they make some DLC. For now if you love just hitting buttons as your favorite marvel character or play with your kids for some mind numbing brainless beat up, then by all means this is for you. If you were looking for something with some more depth and interest with the marvel brand attached, I suggest look elsewhere. Also if there is something I am missing about the combat and bossing please enlighten me, but for me the way the game is designed and setup I don't know if you could do a deathless run on hard unless I guess you are fine whittling at a boss for ~10-15 minutes while waiting for windows of supers to hit them with.

Please... GIVE US THE DLC with CYCLOPS!!! OPTIC BLAST! CYCLONE KICK! GENE SPLICE! OPTIC SWEEP! BEHOLD... OPTIC BLAST!!! "DREAMS, DON'T DIE!"

Extremely shallow gameplay where characters feel extremely basic and samey, doesn't help that enemy variety is lacking and lack of any difficulty to encourage any strategy. Ended up cycling through characters each stage to not feel extreme boredom. Sprites look good though.

Review after 100% completion The game itself is very good just like other Dotemu games. Howerver it's short (15 missions + 1 tutorial mission), i completed the game in 2.3 hours (140 minutes), there're 15 characters. i felt that it was a bit undercooked, because there are no modes to expand the journey, there're only Campaign and Arcade modes. ---------- Edits after having maxed all Heroes: -Every hero has their own unique fighting style, which is very good. -But this game REALLY needs at least 5 more FREE levels (or DLC) to be 9/10 game -Adding a world map (like TMNT or SoR4) would be a nice QoL addition since the current one is plain. ---------- very enjoyable 7/10

The Good: Some excellent artwork and animations, nice variety of characters. Tagging mechanics and assists are pretty neat. The Bad: Forgettable music and questionable character choices. Flying enemies are horrible, and every boss feels very samey - slap on super armor, auto-guard and shields. Game lacks in vital universal beat'em up defense mechanics. The Ugly: Toxic Crusaders got delayed again because of this game.

Pretty good I like it

Unfortunately, the frame rate is proudly capped at 60. And Vsync surprisingly doesn't change anything. Hopefully, after years of additional research and development - and the help of AI - the developers will finally be able to invent, implement, and then sell a Frame Rate Expansion Pack as DLC to us. For another kirking 30 Euros.

So nice and so short. It’s a shame that they created such a fun and nostalgic beat’n-up but with a shorter duration than the classics. To me, it feels a bit like the devs were too lazy to add more stages. For the size of the game, it’s not worth the full price I’d recommend waiting for a 30% discount or more for it to really be worth it.

I am really enjoying it. I really love that they let She-hulk have her day in the videogame "lime" light. :]

Perfect for Couch Coop Nights

This game nails that classic arcade feeling while still giving each hero their own personality. The moment you jump into a fight, the game hits you with fast pacing, slick animations, and combos that feel good every single time. Swapping between two heroes mid battle never gets old. You can start a combo with Spider Man, finish it with She Hulk, and send enemies flying across the screen. It is chaotic in the best way. The combat is surprisingly deep. You can button mash if you want, but the game rewards timing, positioning, and creative tag team chains. Different pairs have different synergy and it feels fun experimenting with who works best together. Some combinations genuinely feel like comic book moments coming to life.. The pixel art is beautiful. Every level is packed with detail, from the glowing cosmic effects to the colorful hand drawn environments. Character sprites have so much personality that even small animations stand out. The music matches the action perfectly and keeps the momentum going. Coop is where the game really shines. Playing with a friend makes the arenas even more fun, especially when you start chaining finishers together. The enemy variety keeps things interesting and boss fights are packed with energy. I found myself replaying levels just to try out different hero duos. It is not without flaws. Some heroes feel noticeably stronger than others and a few encounters can turn into spam heavy crowd control moments. There are also times when the screen gets a bit too busy. But none of these issues took away from the fun. Once you settle into the rhythm, the game becomes a nonstop flow of punches, throws, abilities, and pure comic book energy. I also tried the game on the Steam Deck and it runs beautifully. The pixel art pops on the smaller screen and the performance stays smooth even when the action gets messy. Controls feel natural on the Deck and I did not have to tweak anything. It is one of those games that just fits handheld play perfectly

Final Thoughts

It delivers a simple but addictive formula. It is fast, colorful, and incredibly fun to play whether you are alone or with a friend. It captures the spirit of old school beat em ups while giving Marvel fans something stylish and satisfying to sink their teeth into. If you love brawlers or you just want a fun superhero game that does not overcomplicate things, this is an easy recommendation.

Worth Picking Up If You Love Coop Action

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It is sad i have to put a not recommended for this game. Gameplay is good Character selection is good and has variety Boss fights are good Really an all around good game but dude I beat this in 4.5 hrs and that is with a 3yr old tagging along as my coop, even unlocked like 80% of the extra content. If you are looking for something after playing Shredder's Revenge you will enjoy it but it will be over so quickly. This game needs a ton more levels and a survival mode to get any sort $ to time ratio out of it. If it is on sale get it or buy it if you want to see more of this game.

It's fun and plays well, but it's really lacking in overall content. This should have been a $10-15 game, not $30.

It's a good game, but I can't help but feel like some of the praise this game is receiving is a bit manufactured. They've got a real nice, diverse set of characters to choose from, but I found the move lists overly simplistic which then devolves into a typical button mashing.. If you're looking for, or hoping for, some big innovations since Streets of Rage 4 or Shredder's Revenge, this isn't really it; however if you're looking for a simple beat 'em up with a Marvel can of paint, this will do the job nicely.

Very nice, now let's see Alien Vs Predator business card...

Cosmic Invasion has potential but ultimately falls short. Real classic side scrolling fighting games like Final Fight and Double Dragon have much deeper gameplay and those game released almost four decades ago. Cosmic Invasion feels like a slightly upgraded Golden Axe. Many of the Marvel Super Heroes feel bad to play. Iron Man and Black Panther were my least favorite, while playing as Wolverine, Storm, Captain America, Nova and She Hulk were fun for a bit until the repetition of the gameplay set in.

I love Dotemu games but this one is a miss. I don't find the combat fun and this game is filled with bad ideas that feel more like a generic beat em all to play with your kids then appealing to the Dotemu crowd looking for a solid beat em up with solid mechanics. - Combat is BORING! Slow and sluggish! - More then 2 players online is a visual mess that no one understands what's going on. And you can't limit to 2 players only or by ping, so, forget the online part of the game. Solo only. BORING! - Most levels have hazards, either someone's shooting at you on the background, or something tracking all the time, or falling into a pit. Shovel knight style, BORING! - Just like in the movies, there are more heroes then villains. Enemy variety is really lack lusting. BORING! On top of that, most of them all behave the same and have the same moves (yes, all have anti air for example). - There's air combat, something new in beat em ups and NOT FUN AT ALL! What a bad idea! - Trading characters its not fun, i would rather prefer to play with one from start to finish. - Cutscene art has been pixelized to a point that i would feel offended if i was the original artist. - Why put shields on enemies and make them block animations when every single one of them has armor? (yes, they will hit you back in a middle of a combo). BORING! - Grabs in this game are untested, unfun, really poorly executed being able to cheese out the bosses. - Music is forgettable. Where is the talent that made Shredders revenge? Did they got fired or something? Because the level/game design on this game SUCKS BALLS! If you want marvel characters, you got it. If you're looking for a solid beat em all with fun combat and mechanics? Grab Absolum instead.

It’s garbage from marvel!! , this is what these Morron’s yapping bout all day on that scumbag YouTube

Graphics: 9/10 Fantastic - sprites look amazing, animations are good, great nostalgic kick to it. Gameplay: 2/10 Horrific - I love beat em ups but this one has 0 depth and 0 complexity. You have a basic combo, a special attack and a ultimate ability, that's IT. Hit detection is wonky and feels weird. You can feel the lack of care intuitively. Great opportunity, wasted. Don't buy it.

Would only recommend for die hard marvel or beat-em-up fans. There's some decent fan service but zero mechanical depth to the gameplay. Each hero has a decently substantial movelist but zero reason to do anything but mash x and occasionally dodge or block. Definitely a missed opportunity.

Personally speaking, Streets of Rage 4 deserves its reputation as a modern classic, seamlessly blending arcade beat ’em up action with nuanced fighting game mechanics to create an experience that is both deep and incredibly fun. Given that, it is only natural for players to treat SoR4 as the benchmark for future beat ’em ups. At the same time, every new game is its own artistic work and deserves to be evaluated on its individual strengths. If you belong to the first school of thought and get into Cosmic Invasion thinking that it’s going to raise the bar like SOR4, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. The public demo for the game is a good representative of the rest of the game. What you see is what you’re going to get. It’s definitely style over substance, but the style is just so alluring. The combat is fun, there is a huge amounts of combos and synergies to discover, it looks so damn good and the music (+voice acting) is great.

not enough content. feels like a $10 game

Elevator level: Check ✅ And it checks most of the other boxes I hoped it would. The campaign is about 4 hours long, which I probably could've knocked some time off of if I was playing wide-eyed at my desk rather than in bed at night, but it seemed like a nice retro-cozy, pre-bedtime game. As always, younger/modern gamers are complaining about supposed value, but at about 4 hours for the main campaign this game is already a little too long and gets tedious at times. All the great arcade beat 'em ups were about an hour, which is not what they should aim for here, but this game does drag a little. Though I suppose that's mostly due to the lack of enemy variety. You're fighting those same bug guys on every level, sometimes with a few Sentinels or AIM soldiers mixed in. Speaking of Marvel characters, the vibe is thankfully older Marvel, not MCU era quippy quirky. Everyone is serious and stone faced except your usual wisecrackers like Spider-Man, She Hulk, and Rocket Racoon. And it's the characters, and the distinct way they all play, that's probably the best part of this game. With 15 heroes to choose from you might assume they all feel somewhat samey but they don't. You could put them in two buckets -- the ground characters and the flight characters -- but even within those buckets they all play a bit differently from each other, particularly in their special moves. Like in most beat 'em ups and fighting games, it's the special moves that are key in dealing with enemies/bosses and what characters you enjoy more than others. Shockingly, almost all 15 of them feel fun to play. The game also excels in the pixel art, aided by a couple very nice CRT shaders. The shaders aren't necessary here (as I believe they are with most pre 32-bit games), as the pixels here are small and don't need those screen masks to make the shapes more defined and blend the pixels to display their intended colors and shades and shadows. But I'm going to stop myself here before I break out the Powerpoint slides and go into an unprovoked lecture on shaders and how useful they are for older games on modern high resolution TVs and monitors. There's also an arcade mode beyond the campaign, which is basically the same thing but allows you to add all sorts of modifiers to make the game harder and faster. The faster part is particularly useful as I feel the game is a bit on the sluggish side at default speed. All characters can be levelled up as well, which adds to their HP among a few other stats. In all this is a very strong game that does most everything well, but maybe is a bit safe and sleepy around the edges. An 8.5 out of 10 kinda thing, really close to great.

Out of nostalgia for games like Final Fight or Streets of Rage, I bought this title and was endlessly disappointed. You have to (mindlessly) juggle enemies against a wall because otherwise you don't get any experience points for upgrades that have absolutely no effect. Character restrictions if you want to get achievements, stupid and annoying boss mechanics reminiscent of arcade games – all that's missing is the coin slot. Continue is only available in arcade mode